First look: Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones with Pure ANC & Apple W1 chip

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2017
Apple's newly-available Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones are the highest-end model the company offers -- short of the appropriately named Beats Pro. AppleInsider offers a first look at the new hardware.




Like last year's Solo3, the Studio3 features Apple's W1 wireless chip, which enables rapid Bluetooth pairing with iPhones and iPads, though conventional pairing is also an option. The chip also offers a Class 1 connection, with better range and reliability.

A few things separate the Studio3 however, above all something Apple calls "Pure Adaptive Noise Canceling," or Pure ANC. This reduces or eliminates ambient noise such as fans or traffic, and can be toggled on and off at will by double-tapping the power button. For still more isolation the headphones use an around-the-ear design, rather than on-ear like the Solo3.

Once the Studio3 is paired, it becomes available to any recently-made Apple device signed into the same iCloud account, including Macs and Apple Watches. Devices must be running at least iOS 10, macOS Sierra, or watchOS 3.

Another similarity with the Solo3 is something called Fast Fuel charging, which in this case translates to 3 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of power via micro USB. Speaking of which, while Apple promises up to 40 hours of battery life with Pure ANC off -- the same as the Solo3 -- that drops to 22 hours with the technology on.




In wireless mode, playback is controlled using the headphones' "B" button, with options for play/pause, volume, and skipping forward and backward. Depending on context, the button can also be used to answer phone calls or trigger Siri.

Bundled with the Studio3 is a carrying case, a micro USB cable, and a 3.5-millimeter stereo cable with a built-in remote. 3.5-millimeter connections will work without pairing or even switching the headphones on.




Apple is charging $349.95 for the Studio3, $50 more than the Solo3. There are six color options -- white, red, blue, matte black, shadow gray, and porcelain rose.

Stay tuned to AppleInsider for a full review, coming soon.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    StrangeDayskenoRacerhomieXjony0
  • Reply 2 of 15
    kbeatkbeat Posts: 48member
    Rayz2016 said:
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    You don't see that so much these days. Most Beats reviews these days from audiophiles and tech sites acknowledge that they sound considerably better now with the latest Apple releases and are a decent sounding headphone for the money. Apple has dialed back the overwhelming bass that used to be the Beats signature sound and created a much more balanced profile. They still have a bass-y punch, but that's desirable for many, especially those who primarily listen to Hip Hop and Rock. 

    They're never going to be the choice for those that like to put on headphones, turn off the lights, and catch every single note of a complex jazz arrangement, but that's not what they're designed to do, and that's okay! Poseur9000 cans exist for that.  :)
    edited October 2017 gatorguyelectrosoftkenocyberzombiestanhopelorin schultzjony0
  • Reply 3 of 15
    alandailalandail Posts: 755member
    How do phone calls work with these?  Are microphones built in like with the AirPods, or do you have to plug in a cable?
  • Reply 4 of 15
    kbeatkbeat Posts: 48member
    alandail said:
    How do phone calls work with these?  Are microphones built in like with the AirPods, or do you have to plug in a cable?
    Yes.

    To clarify, you have both options. There is a microphone built in that works okay for phone calls. If you want better audio quality for calls there is an included cable with microphone that you can plug in. (I'm assuming these work the same as the W1 Solo3's Apple released last year.)
    alandailRacerhomieX
  • Reply 5 of 15
    Roger_FingasRoger_Fingas Posts: 148member, editor
    alandail said:
    How do phone calls work with these?  Are microphones built in like with the AirPods, or do you have to plug in a cable?
    There's a mic built into one of the earpieces - Apple doesn't make a point of mentioning this, oddly enough.
    alandail
  • Reply 6 of 15
    alandailalandail Posts: 755member
    alandail said:
    How do phone calls work with these?  Are microphones built in like with the AirPods, or do you have to plug in a cable?
    There's a mic built into one of the earpieces - Apple doesn't make a point of mentioning this, oddly enough.
    Thanks, I couldn't find any reviews that mentioned it either.  Maybe you could revise your article to mention it where you mention the control for answering a phone call.  The "remote talk" cable made it sound like you had to plug in the cable to talk.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    Rayz2016 said:
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    A review that objectively detailed the sound quality would be nice.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    mike1 said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    A review that objectively detailed the sound quality would be nice.
    An objective review based on the listener's perception is, by default, subjective. 
    jony0
  • Reply 9 of 15
    kenokeno Posts: 5member
    Why the micro-USB cable?  Couldn't they go with a lightning connector this time?
  • Reply 10 of 15
    Roger_FingasRoger_Fingas Posts: 148member, editor
    keno said:
    Why the micro-USB cable?  Couldn't they go with a lightning connector this time?
    Most Beats products are intended to be platform-agnostic, presumably, and there are no particular advantages to switching to Lightning.
    jony0
  • Reply 11 of 15
    1) MicroUSB??? Seriously?????

    2) Apple is supposed to be known for the build quality of its products. I wish they would apply this philosophy to Beats as well. I’d love a set with the W1 chip but my Bowers & Wilkins are made with real steel, aluminum and leather. For the same money Apple should be able to do better than a cheap plastic build and vinyl ear pads. Just sad, Apple. 
  • Reply 12 of 15
    stanhopestanhope Posts: 160member
    mike1 said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    A review that objectively detailed the sound quality would be nice.
    LOL...by definition, sound quality is subjective. That there are so many options in each price point is testament to that.
    edited October 2017
  • Reply 13 of 15
    Rayz2016 said:
    Okay, can the fake audiophiles line up here please? And make sure you have your “these are such poor quality compared to my Poseur9000 cans” comment ready. 

    Thank you! Oi! No pushing at the back! You’ll all get your turn!
    I'm not an audiophile, but I do consider the sound quality of most mainstream audio transducers to be pretty poor. Interestingly, not the Solo3. I wouldn't use them for critical evaluations, but for casual listening they're actually quite good. No obvious flaws at all.
  • Reply 14 of 15

    alandail said:
    How do phone calls work with these?  Are microphones built in like with the AirPods, or do you have to plug in a cable?
    There's a mic built into one of the earpieces - Apple doesn't make a point of mentioning this, oddly enough.
    Probably because your caller will hang up on you if you use it. My wife refuses to talk to me on the phone if I'm using the mic in my Solo3 because she finds it too hard to understand what I'm saying.
  • Reply 15 of 15

    Roger_Fingas said:

    [...] there are no particular advantages to switching to Lightning.
    I consider having one cable that will charge two or more devices an advantage over having to carry a separate cable for each device.

    Since the cable is included with the headphones anyway, making it a Lightning cable doesn't strike me as being particularly platform specific.
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